Modi slams Kamal Nath, Congress over 'Tughlaq Road scam'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and the Congress party over the recovery of crores of rupees in income tax raids, saying that within six months of coming to power they gave birth to the massive "Tughlaq Road scam".

"This is only the trailer, they have five years still with them," Modi said speaking at an election rally in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Jabalpur constituency, Rakesh Singh.

"The Congress party had announced waiver of farm loans and unemployment allowance to jobless youth. But nothing was done. However, during this period, they ensured three things -- collapsing the law and order machinery, turning transfer and posting into a full-fledged business, and siphoning off the funds meant for providing nutrition to poor tribal children and pregnant women, which were recovered recently."

Earlier, speaking at a public meeting in Sidhi parliamentary constituency of the state, the Prime Minister had alleged that the Chief Minister Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh gobbles up funds meant for tribal women and children.

"The Congress government launches welfare schemes for the poor and farmers and then misappropriates funds for those programmes. Right from Delhi to Bhopal, corruption is the norm for the Congress party. But your 'chowkidar' is alert and he would spare none, be it top leaders or their confidants," he said.

"The government of 'chowkidar' at the Centre sends funds to the state government to provide nutrition to the poor tribal children and pregnant women, so that they give birth to healthy babies. But despite the presence of an alert 'chowkidar', these audacious Congress politicians created 'Tughlaq Road scam'."

The Prime Minister said that Tughlaq Road in Delhi is the address of top Congress leaders, and it is there that the money transported in gunny bags was seized.

"The money for women and children was stolen and transported to Delhi, which the top Congress leaders used in electioneering," Modi alleged.

Talking about the loan waiver scheme in Madhya Pradesh, he said: "They (Congress) made false promise of waiving farm loans...the loans haven't been waived yet, but they are lying and telling the whole nation that they waived loans... They are habitual liars."

Accusing the state government of going back on its poll promise, Modi said: Today, the Madhya Pradesh government is presenting a trailer of Congress culture. One feels shaken to see the sins committed by them in the last six months in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. These very people destroyed the country over the last 70 years."

The first round of polls in the state will take place during the fourth phase of the general elections on April 29, when polling will be held in six parliamentary constituencies.

--IANS

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